CS Wycliffe Oparanya (right) and PS Susan Mang’eni (left) during a press briefing in Nairobi on August 25, 2026.
NAIROBI, August 25, 2026 — Kenya has commenced preparations for its participation in the 26th East African Community (EAC) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from October 30 to November 8, 2026.
Co-operatives and MSME Development Cabinet Secretary Dr. Wycliffe Oparanya commissioned a multi-sectoral National Organising Committee to coordinate Kenya’s participation in the regional trade fair, which is expected to bring together more than 1,000 enterprises from the eight EAC Partner States.
Speaking during the commissioning in Nairobi, Oparanya said Kenya was entering the Rwandan market from a position of strength, noting that more than 1,300 Kenyan companies were already trading in the country.
“Kenya enters Rwanda from a position of strength, having consistently ranked among Rwanda’s top five sources of imports,” Oparanya said.
He said the trade fair would provide Kenyan MSMEs with an opportunity to strengthen existing business relationships, establish new market linkages and increase the visibility of locally manufactured products across the region.
“Every product headed to Kigali must be 100 per cent Kenyan-made and meet international market requirements,” he said, urging participating enterprises to maintain high standards and use the platform to position their products for wider markets.
The trade fair will be held under the theme “Advancing Regional Value Chains in Leather and Horticulture,” and is expected to bring together more than 1,000 enterprises from the eight EAC Partner States.
Principal Secretary for MSME Development Susan Mang’eni said the regional market offered considerable opportunities for Kenyan MSMEs seeking to expand their businesses and participate in regional and global value chains.
Mang’eni noted that the EAC’s large population and economic base provided an important market for enterprises seeking to grow beyond their domestic operations.
“The EAC has a population of 331 million people and USD356 billion in combined GDP, which is a real opportunity for our MSMEs,” she said.
She said Kenyan MSMEs should take advantage of regional integration and use the trade fair to develop business relationships that could translate into sustained market access.
“It is an opportunity for our MSMEs to enter regional and global value chains,” Mang’eni said, encouraging enterprises to look beyond the exhibition and focus on long-term commercial opportunities.
MSEA Board Chairman James Mureu said access to markets remained essential to the growth and sustainability of the MSME sector, noting that businesses could only expand when they had reliable opportunities to sell their products.
“Access to markets is the prerequisite for encouraging enterprise growth, job creation and productive investment for the MSME sector,” Mureu said.
He added that initiatives that connect small enterprises to regional markets were important in strengthening production, investment and employment opportunities
.MSEA Chief Executive Officer Henry Rithaa said the Authority was putting in place mechanisms to ensure Kenyan MSE products continued to access markets even after the Kigali trade fair.
Rithaa said products available from Kenyan MSEs would be marketed through MSEA’s marketing portal, enabling technology-enabled fulfilment and connecting enterprises with potential buyers.
He said MSEA was also championing forward linkages and aggregation of MSME products to strengthen market access.
“This will enable MSMEs to continue accessing the EAC and the wider market long after the trade fair closes,” Rithaa said.
He added that the approach would enable enterprises to tap into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market of about 1.3 billion people.
MSEA is spearheading Kenya’s participation and will facilitate 500 MSEs to exhibit at the fair, giving them an opportunity to showcase Kenyan products, engage buyers and explore partnerships with enterprises from across the region.
The Authority has invited eligible enterprises to register their participation before the September 30, 2026 deadline.Kenya’s participation is expected to strengthen intra-EAC trade, promote locally manufactured products and create sustainable market opportunities for MSMEs, particularly in the leather and horticulture value chains.
